Wish Trippers...Unite!! Volume One

[hotmamac]

Hey gang ~
I was reading Eeyore's Mom's trip report and she mentioned DisSigns as a place she used to make books and shirts for her son't MAW trip. Does anyone have any idea what that is and how I would get to it?
Thanks!
Misty

 

[Camster0307]

Hey gang ~
I was reading Eeyore's Mom's trip report and she mentioned DisSigns as a place she used to make books and shirts for her son't MAW trip. Does anyone have any idea what that is and how I would get to it?
Thanks!
Misty

There's a "Creative Community" sub-forum (think you'll find it down by the Just for Fun board?).

There are people there who will creative designs for just about anything you'd like. Never have used it by have seen some of their work - very good!

 

[oklamomof4boys]

Hello everybody. I haven't had a chance to read through all the posts. My youngest son was referred to MAW. He has a heart condition- right now, thanks to the 12 pills he takes, he is stable and feels pretty good. You would never know he has a heart condition by looking at him. Unfortunately, that could all change and he could go into heart failure tomorrow. It has been a difficult year for him- he started having seizures, plus he is getting old enough now ( 9) that emotionally this is all getting hard for him. So we agreed this was the right time for a wish. He wants either a Disney Cruise or a trip to Disneyland. We save our money like crazy to take the family on vacations ( we just went on a cruise last summer and we are saving for another one December of '09- and we are hopefully going to DL this Summer). We asked him if he was sure that he didn't want something different and he said, " No, when I am at Disney, it is the one time I forget about it all." Can't argue with that. For some reason, he has no interest in WDW.

Anyway, the process has just started. We met with his pediatrician today for a check up before he filled out the paperwork. Once I got home, all I want to do is crawl in a ball and cry! Of course, I am hiding all this from my son. I logically know he has a life threatening condition. But, except for giving him a handful of pills twice a day, he seems so normal. I guess sometimes I like to stick my head in the sand. I think part of me was naively hoping he would say, " I don't consider Nathan to have a life threatening condition." Instead, when I was asking about his future and the seizures, he said, " His heart is what you need to worry about with his future."

Has anybody else ever felt this way? I am trying to get over it and feel excited. Now that the process has started, can anybody tell me what to expect?

Thanks for listening.

 

[rwrocksme]

Hi everyone! We are a future wish family. My son, age 3, has hypoplastic left heart and tricuspid atresia. Our doctor in St Louis just referred us to MAW and finished the referral. I guess a wish-granter will be contacting us in a few weeks.

Erm, what else? My son just joined our family. He is from China and my husband returned 2/3 with him. He will have open heart surgery this spring and we hope to do our wish trip next year around this time. Sam cannot be in cold weather at all - must be inside if the temps are under 55. So, we need to be careful about when we go if we want to do anything at all at night (mini-golfing, etc).

I can't wait! I love reading all the info about everyone's trips. Our local MAW said they do not provide transportation to the airport, so we will need to go and pay for parking as well. She also said that very rarely are they able to give people anything extra for food or spending money. So, it's probably good that we have a year to save for this trip!!!

Mary
www dot oneblessedfamily dot com slash blog

DH - Doug
DD - Lydia (7 - a. 11/06 Nanjing, China)
DD - Gwen (5 - bio daughter)
DS - Sam (3 - a. 1/08 Changzhou, China)
DD - Phoebe (11 weeks - bio)

It was so interesting to see that your son has tricuspid atresia. I do, too! Not a lot of "blue babies" out there...but it's nice to know that there's at least 1 other DIS-er going through the same stuff.

I hope your son's surgery goes well, and that the time until your trip passes quickly. You will have a great time.

 

[Camster0307]

Hello everybody. I haven't had a chance to read through all the posts. My youngest son was referred to MAW. He has a heart condition- right now, thanks to the 12 pills he takes, he is stable and feels pretty good. You would never know he has a heart condition by looking at him. Unfortunately, that could all change and he could go into heart failure tomorrow. It has been a difficult year for him- he started having seizures, plus he is getting old enough now ( 9) that emotionally this is all getting hard for him. So we agreed this was the right time for a wish. He wants either a Disney Cruise or a trip to Disneyland. We save our money like crazy to take the family on vacations ( we just went on a cruise last summer and we are saving for another one December of '09- and we are hopefully going to DL this Summer). We asked him if he was sure that he didn't want something different and he said, " No, when I am at Disney, it is the one time I forget about it all." Can't argue with that. For some reason, he has no interest in WDW.

Anyway, the process has just started. We met with his pediatrician today for a check up before he filled out the paperwork. Once I got home, all I want to do is crawl in a ball and cry! Of course, I am hiding all this from my son. I logically know he has a life threatening condition. But, except for giving him a handful of pills twice a day, he seems so normal. I guess sometimes I like to stick my head in the sand. I think part of me was naively hoping he would say, " I don't consider Nathan to have a life threatening condition." Instead, when I was asking about his future and the seizures, he said, " His heart is what you need to worry about with his future."

Has anybody else ever felt this way? I am trying to get over it and feel excited. Now that the process has started, can anybody tell me what to expect?

Thanks for listening.

Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. I'm usually crying all the way home from my daughter's appointments. Doctors' appointments stink because they're a big, fat smack of reality in your face and who needs that? We're living life and we need no reminders from them!

That being said, we just got back from our MAW trip in Nov. Every MAW org. handles things differently so it's hard to tell you what to expect. What I will say is stand up for what your child wants. DO NOT EVER feel guilty about getting a wish. Your child and your family deserve this. I had a very hard time asking for what my child would want but I got over that quickly.

Please - if you have any questions, don't be afraid to post. There are many of us here who have gone through the process and can give you some advice and encouragement. Good luck with your wish!

 

[wendygrace]

Mary, you may want to reconsider IL although I don't know anything about MO HS laws. It is so easy to HS in IL. You don't really have to do ANYTHING! Keep attendance is the only real thing that's recommended by the HS community and that can be done on a calendar. No testing, no file keeping, nothing.

I didn't realized you were already going to St.Louis Hospitals (or I forgot). We went to the History Museum today and it is Awesome! My kids really enjoyed it. They had lots of touch things for the kids. For example, in one exhibit they get to use a compass to find things. They also have storytimes apparently. Just don't buy lunch there (1/2 sandwich cost me $4!).

 

[NicoleDisneyFan]

Hi. We have our dates set to have our wish trip for my ds who will be 4 years old on the 11th of March.. We are going to WDW Sep 22-27th. Our first trip out of our home state of California with our kids. We are going on a disney cruise at the end of May that was my special trip for my ds that I planned a year back before MAW. We are a one income family so we had to really save for the cruise. MAW was going to help but said he was to young to wish a out of the united states trip to Mexico. Then we were going to go to DL which is closer to us but we just went at the end of January before his open heart surgery so MAW suggested WDW and we are thrilled! When I first got the referall from MAW I cryed all night thinking it was the end for my son till I called them the next day. They explained that it was for kids with life threating problems or kids that also over come it. My ds had SVT(high heart rate over 300) when I was 38 weeks pregnant. Then was born with a enlarged heart. Got over both conditions at the age of 2. Then was found to have a heart tumor. We thought the tumor can be removed since it was first on the outside of the heart. He went in for open heart surgery on Feb 22 and found the tumor to be non cancerous but now it is on the inside of the heart and cant be removed. His only option is for a heart transplant if it grows and gets worst. He is a very happy and healthy kid if you look at him. People dont know how serious it is unless I tell them. I hope people dont look at us when we go to WDW like he isnt sick. Sorry this post is so long but need to get this out. I am grateful to MAW but never thougt I would be granted a wish for my ds. A scary and happy time for us.

 

[hotmamac]

Hi everyone ~
I finally got my Complete Guide book to Disney World and I can't put it down. My husband keeps reminding me that it's not going to (hopefully) be until December, but I think it's never too early!
To oklamomof4boys, I think that is the second best thing about this board (besides all the great info) is that everyone here understands what you're going thru to some degree. My daughter's condition is not terminal, but there is no cure. There's still alot that is unknown about TS and what her future might hold. She could go for years with no symptoms, or tomorrow they could all bombard her. You just never know.
I've gotten good at sticking my head in the sand too. But sometimes, the view down there is better than up here. Sometimes it's nice to forget there's anything "different" about your child. And it can be good for your child too. My family tends to treat my daughter like she's fragile or something, but I'd rather her just be a 3 year old and if she falls down she's not going to break. I'm afraid if they treat her like a china doll, some day she'll pick up on it and she'll realize there's something "wrong" with her.
It is hard though when I see her with other kids her age and she's not at the same point as them developmentally. Or when someone asks how old she is and then says "oh, she seems much younger than her age", it bothers me. But she's happy (most of the time) and she's not in pain or suffering so I am content with that. Happiness first. Everything else, second.
I don't know if I've helped at all, but it feels good for me to put all this into words to people who might understand.
Congrats on your trip. Our wish volunteers come on Tuesday night and I'm already so excited. I'm starting a list of questions to ask and special things. I may still have a little residual guilt lingering, but after being on this board, I'm certainly emboldened and will not be shy.
Good luck to you and yours!
Until later,
Misty

 

[oklamomof4boys]

It is nice to "talk" to people who understand.

NicoleDisneyFan- my son also had SVTs. His was caused by a virus he caught in utero ( viral myocarditis). His heart was enlarged by the virus and it was a miracle he survived his first 2 months of life. His heart remained enlarged when he left the NICU, but they thought he would "grow into it". When he was 3, his heart became considerably worse. Medication has helped increase his heart function some to where he doesn't have many symptoms- and I am very thankful for that. But they tell us his heart won't get better ( his diagnosis is dilated cardiomyopathy)- the best we can hope for is he will hold his own. But he could gradually or suddenly go into heart failure. And like your son, the only option then would be a heart transplant.

He looks perfectly healthy so people tend to "forget" about his heart and treat him normally. Well, most of the time. He rarely gets invited over to someone's house. He will one time, I explain to the parents what they need to watch for and then they back out. I understand, I really do. But the chances of something happening to him while he is over there is so incredibly small. I just hurt for him. So we invite kids over here a lot. He has one friend whose mom is great and they invite him over some.

These kids go through so much!

 

[Queenie122]

First of all

I never really thought I would find so many people here at the DIS boards who would feel the same way I do!

I put off calling MAW for so long because I kept saying "But my daughter isn't terminally ill." The medical professionals kept insisting that wasn't the criteria and I should call and when I did call - well, I did it thinking, "They'll say no and then I can tell people to stop bugging me about it!" I was surprised when the coordinator said, "No, it doesn't have to be a terminal illness, the child has to either have or HAD a life threatening experience."

Now my daughter was born at only 25 weeks. On top of being a micro preemie she also contracted late onset Group B strep and battled for her life for 8 very long weeks. She also has VACTRYL syndrome which affected different parts of her body. The only thing noticeable on the outside was that she had an extra thumb. But she has an extra rib, a pinch in her trachea to her lung which left her needing a trach, she had some heart problems that luckily cleared up. She needed surgery on her eyes. Because of the trach and being sick she had a feeding tube and still has that. She remained in the hospital for the first 53 weeks of her life. She had the trach for 2 years. She's had surgery on her thumb and unless you look closely or know to look, you can't really tell but both of her hands are abnormal. But still the only outward sign of her history is her feeding tube which is easily hidden under her clothes. She is smaller than other children her age and can't physically do some of the things they can do but we work on that with therapy every day. She is very smart - cognitively she is testing above average for 3 1/2 year olds so people easily overlook her issues, she's good at hiding them.

People tend to forget what we went (go) through. She's had 9 surgeries and will still need more. She has multiple doctors visits every month to keep on top of her condition. But on the outside she is a happy and friendly girl and her outlook is great - even her therapists say she will go very far.

But today's outlook is very different from the start of her life. That she is doing well doesn't take away what we went though or will have to go through as her life progresses. And we just don't know what will happen as she grows, how it will affect her.

All that has taught me to value every day - there were many days we were moments away from losing her and it really puts things in perspective.

I have felt guilty, like I am taking this away from a terminally ill child but our MAW has insisted that each child is looked at on their own merit and one does not affect the other. That made me feel better. They have pretty strict qualifiers - I mean, the first step is the doctors verifying the child's condition - so I don't think any of us would be getting this if our children didn't qualify.

One of my favorite sayings about this situation: There isn't ONE of us who wouldn't trade the trip of a lifetime to not have our kids experience what they've gone and go through. I think we need these vacations more than our kids!

Is May here yet?!?

 

[rwrocksme]

Queenie--Don't worry about "taking away" a wish from another child. Everyone who qualifies gets a wish if they want one.

 

[NicoleDisneyFan]

oklamomof4boys- It is nice to know someone who is going through a simular situation! Sometimes it feels like my ds is the only one having this kind of luck in health. All I hear from his doctors are how rare his condition is and how he is so unlucky which breaks my heart. Everytime I thank the stars that he is ok then in the back of my mind I think that things will turn for the worst and I will be waiting for a heart for my son which scares me to death. In 6 months they will check and see if the tumor had grown and just praying that it wont and that the doctors appointment will be after our trip and I can make my wishes at disney for a good outcome. I have a dd who is knock on wood healthy right now and having such a heard time paying lots of attention to her. I hope that this MAW trip can also include her a lot. At almost 6 years old, it is really hard for her to understand how bad off he is but she does know that sick. She always tells me that she will pray for her brother and our family is not very religious. I wonder how other people will treat my son in the future. Like when he goes over to friends houses or like us going on our cruise that we need a medical form for him to go into the childcare. I just hope that they treat him the same.
Queenie122- Just from reading half of your story your daughter qualifies. You are right about the kids having to qualify and the doctor approves it. I am glad that you dont feel that you are taking anything away from another child. hope that you have a wonderful trip! I think that I do need this trip just as much as my ds. As parents, we dont have to have their medical condition to know the pain and the reality of what they are going through. I hope for the best for all of the children on this board. I am glad we can support each other even if it is electronic that its nice to get out some of this that I have bottled up. Thanks

 

[wendygrace]

NicoleDisneyFan, you are right that this trip is as much for the rest of the family as it is for the child. I am sure that your dd will get a lot of attention. Our DD also received a MAW shirt and pin and she got a ton of extra attention. It was sooo good for her.

I put off calling MAW myself but finally did it. Interestingly enough, even though ds has three terminal illnesses, noone had bothered recommending them to us. So I felt really guilty since none of our medical community had said anything about him qualifying but I knew we as a family needed something. I really understand how so many families with sick kids ended up divorcing. The stress we go under can be so overwhelming. A trip like this can really help build back a relationship too.

 

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Hello everybody. I haven't had a chance to read through all the posts. My youngest son was referred to MAW. He has a heart condition- right now, thanks to the 12 pills he takes, he is stable and feels pretty good. You would never know he has a heart condition by looking at him. Unfortunately, that could all change and he could go into heart failure tomorrow. It has been a difficult year for him- he started having seizures, plus he is getting old enough now ( 9) that emotionally this is all getting hard for him. So we agreed this was the right time for a wish. He wants either a Disney Cruise or a trip to Disneyland. We save our money like crazy to take the family on vacations ( we just went on a cruise last summer and we are saving for another one December of '09- and we are hopefully going to DL this Summer). We asked him if he was sure that he didn't want something different and he said, " No, when I am at Disney, it is the one time I forget about it all." Can't argue with that. For some reason, he has no interest in WDW.

Anyway, the process has just started. We met with his pediatrician today for a check up before he filled out the paperwork. Once I got home, all I want to do is crawl in a ball and cry! Of course, I am hiding all this from my son. I logically know he has a life threatening condition. But, except for giving him a handful of pills twice a day, he seems so normal. I guess sometimes I like to stick my head in the sand. I think part of me was naively hoping he would say, " I don't consider Nathan to have a life threatening condition." Instead, when I was asking about his future and the seizures, he said, " His heart is what you need to worry about with his future."

Has anybody else ever felt this way? I am trying to get over it and feel excited. Now that the process has started, can anybody tell me what to expect?

Thanks for listening.

Hi. We have our dates set to have our wish trip for my ds who will be 4 years old on the 11th of March.. We are going to WDW Sep 22-27th. Our first trip out of our home state of California with our kids. We are going on a disney cruise at the end of May that was my special trip for my ds that I planned a year back before MAW. We are a one income family so we had to really save for the cruise. MAW was going to help but said he was to young to wish a out of the united states trip to Mexico. Then we were going to go to DL which is closer to us but we just went at the end of January before his open heart surgery so MAW suggested WDW and we are thrilled! When I first got the referall from MAW I cryed all night thinking it was the end for my son till I called them the next day. They explained that it was for kids with life threating problems or kids that also over come it. My ds had SVT(high heart rate over 300) when I was 38 weeks pregnant. Then was born with a enlarged heart. Got over both conditions at the age of 2. Then was found to have a heart tumor. We thought the tumor can be removed since it was first on the outside of the heart. He went in for open heart surgery on Feb 22 and found the tumor to be non cancerous but now it is on the inside of the heart and cant be removed. His only option is for a heart transplant if it grows and gets worst. He is a very happy and healthy kid if you look at him. People dont know how serious it is unless I tell them. I hope people dont look at us when we go to WDW like he isnt sick. Sorry this post is so long but need to get this out. I am grateful to MAW but never thougt I would be granted a wish for my ds. A scary and happy time for us.

We're glad you found us! Please feel free to "vent" all you want about how you are feeling. We've all been there or are still there. We understand.

Oklahomaof4boys......I love that your boy says that he can forget about it all when he is at Disney. I think we all feel that way. It is a place where we can just enjoy life and not have to worry about life's little details for awhile. Has he officially made his wish yet? WDW would be an awesome place for your family since you are already "experienced" with DL and DCL. Take your boy to the WDW website and show him all that he could do there. Plus, Give Kids the World (where you would stay) is just as magical as Disney. Order the WDW planning video, that may help to. Not trying to push you into WDW, but it is a wonderful place.

NicoleDisneyFan.......I understand the whole "wait, my child isn't terminally ill" feeling. My DD had a umbilical cord stem cell tranplant when she was 7 months old, today she is doing amazingly well (she's 4 now). I also was worried about how we were going to be percieved since she does not "look" sick. I got over it in a hurry. It doesn't matter what other people think, we know what our child has gone through and that they (and you) deserve this trip.

Good luck to both of you in your planning and I think one thing we all agree on here is that you should not feel guilty and if there is something you want to do on your trip, be sure to ask!!!!!! Yes, they could say no, but most of the time they try to accomadate you!

If you haven't had the chance...go and read the wish trip reports, they will help you a lot!

 

[oklamomof4boys]

Nathan has not officially made his wish yet. I know his doctor filled out all of the paperwork on Friday. I have no idea how long the process will take. We have tried to encourage him to do WDW- I did show him the WDW website and even GKTW website but he is absolutely against it. He has some problems with his memory ( he has trouble getting info from short term to long term- but once it is in long term, it is there )so the unknown/unfamiliar really scares him. We have been to DL enough that it feels like home to him ( he only wants to go to DL if he can stay in the new "dream suite"-lol! I've told him that I don't even think that is possible!). When we went on our cruise last year, he was scared to death at first. He did not want to go at all- even after years of dreaming and planning! But once we went, he absolutely loved it. It even made enough of an impression for much of the trip to get to his long term memory- even though some of his memories didn't actually happen! He has this whole story about ordering room service and they messed up the order, but the french fries were great and the mac and cheese was horrible, etc. Funny thing is- none of that happened! We ordered room service one time and he was asleep already! I figure, as long as his memories are good ones, what does it really matter if they are true! He also has this "memory" from when he was allowed to play t-ball when he was younger. He "recalls" making a triple play- all by himself! ( He did assist in a double play one time). I told his brothers if he wants to remember himself as the greatest t-ball player ever, so be it!

 

[hotmamac]

Our wish volunteers came over last night!!
They were two super nice ladies and they brought a ton of loot for both kids, which I thought was really nice. I was a little worried about them coming with something for DD (wish child) only. They asked where DD would like to go and she said "I see Din-eze" which of course means Disney.
We really want to go the second week of December because my sister and parents want to go too and my sister's work schedule only allows her to be off at certain times (she's a teacher). But we still had to give them three dates.
So now it's just a waiting game, right? It's all out of our hands I guess. I'm not a good waiter!
Whatever, I'm excited!!!
Take care everyone!
Misty

 

[LeeLee2U]

Hi! Everyone!
Yay!1 Misty! Now the ball is rolling!!!
Haven't been on in a while and will have to go back to try to catch up. Hope all is doing o.k. 's just been busy as usual @ here. My DH is not doing very good right now. Dialysis is not cleaning right now and he is holding a lot of fluid right now. That is a little unusual for him right now. Of course after 7 years of Dialysis I understand that unusual is usual for us!!! Braeton is actually doing better. The boys school is having a Hoe Down tomorrow and he is a little upset because his "partner" is a teacher!! (1 of his assistants that help him through the day. The school will not give him his own, they just use different ones through the day ) But he is all excited because he gets to be in it!
We close on our house the 28th so we are trying to slow down where I can stay home and pack!!! And hopefully I can finish my report before this Sep!!

 

[Queenie122]

I put off calling MAW myself but finally did it. Interestingly enough, even though ds has three terminal illnesses, noone had bothered recommending them to us. So I felt really guilty since none of our medical community had said anything about him qualifying but I knew we as a family needed something. I really understand how so many families with sick kids ended up divorcing. The stress we go under can be so overwhelming. A trip like this can really help build back a relationship too.

Maybe your docs just don't have a lot of experience with it? Glad you called and got to enjoy the trip! To be frank, I am hoping this trip brings us all back together. The stress has been very very hard on all of us and we could really use it. We lost so much - no normal pregnancy, no normal birth, no "normal" baby (what's that anyway ), that is will be really nice, for once, just to have a "normal" vacation.

If you haven't had the chance...go and read the wish trip reports, they will help you a lot!

Definitely read them!! I have learned SO much reading the awesome trip reorts. I feel like I have to do one too, just so I can pass on my thanks for all the great info. I probably will although I have no idea how to start! lol

Nathan has not officially made his wish yet. I know his doctor filled out all of the paperwork on Friday. I have no idea how long the process will take. We have tried to encourage him to do WDW- I did show him the WDW website and even GKTW website but he is absolutely against it. He has some problems with his memory ( he has trouble getting info from short term to long term- but once it is in long term, it is there )so the unknown/unfamiliar really scares him. We have been to DL enough that it feels like home to him ( he only wants to go to DL if he can stay in the new "dream suite"-lol! I've told him that I don't even think that is possible!). When we went on our cruise last year, he was scared to death at first. He did not want to go at all- even after years of dreaming and planning! But once we went, he absolutely loved it. It even made enough of an impression for much of the trip to get to his long term memory- even though some of his memories didn't actually happen! He has this whole story about ordering room service and they messed up the order, but the french fries were great and the mac and cheese was horrible, etc. Funny thing is- none of that happened! We ordered room service one time and he was asleep already! I figure, as long as his memories are good ones, what does it really matter if they are true! He also has this "memory" from when he was allowed to play t-ball when he was younger. He "recalls" making a triple play- all by himself! ( He did assist in a double play one time). I told his brothers if he wants to remember himself as the greatest t-ball player ever, so be it!

Aww, the memories are cute. I hope they are all good ones! WDW has so much more to do, and the village so wonderful, it would be great if you guys could visit. But of course you don't want to push your son if you think he won't like it.

My experience, with the paperwork, was very quick. Maybe only a couple of weeks before we heard my DD qualified, another 3 weeks after that the team was at my home and less than a week after that we were going over dates for our trip.

Good luck!

Our wish volunteers came over last night!!
They were two super nice ladies and they brought a ton of loot for both kids, which I thought was really nice. I was a little worried about them coming with something for DD (wish child) only. They asked where DD would like to go and she said "I see Din-eze" which of course means Disney.
We really want to go the second week of December because my sister and parents want to go too and my sister's work schedule only allows her to be off at certain times (she's a teacher). But we still had to give them three dates.
So now it's just a waiting game, right? It's all out of our hands I guess. I'm not a good waiter!
Whatever, I'm excited!!!
Take care everyone!
Misty

Awesome!! For us it happened very quickly that we were picking out dates after that team visit. Hopefully you'll know soon, the waiting is the hardest part! You should be okay... December is pretty far off! Although I read that Thanksgiving and Christmas are extremely busy at GKTW Village but I think right before is a great time to visit

Hi! Everyone!
Yay!1 Misty! Now the ball is rolling!!!
Haven't been on in a while and will have to go back to try to catch up. Hope all is doing o.k. 's just been busy as usual @ here. My DH is not doing very good right now. Dialysis is not cleaning right now and he is holding a lot of fluid right now. That is a little unusual for him right now. Of course after 7 years of Dialysis I understand that unusual is usual for us!!! Braeton is actually doing better. The boys school is having a Hoe Down tomorrow and he is a little upset because his "partner" is a teacher!! (1 of his assistants that help him through the day. The school will not give him his own, they just use different ones through the day ) But he is all excited because he gets to be in it!
We close on our house the 28th so we are trying to slow down where I can stay home and pack!!! And hopefully I can finish my report before this Sep!!

Good luck with everything LeeLee. It must be so crazy in your house! Good to hear that Braeton is doing better and I'll send some vibes for your hubby.

 

[hotmamac]

I have to ask if anyone out there found that their volunteers were a little off on some of their information?
When our volunteers came the other night, I let them know that we're really not interested in Universal, since DD isn't really familiar with any of those characters and that we wanted to know if we could just go to Disney. They told us we could get whatever tickets we wanted to wherever we wanted and that we weren't limited on the number of days we spent at Disney. Well, from being on here I knew that wasn't true so I emailed GKTW just to be sure and of course they told me that it is 3 days at Disney 2 at Universal and 1 at Sea World. Now, I'm not trying to be picky or greedy or anything like that, I know this trip is a HUGE blessing and we are so fortunate to be granted the opportunity, but I just wonder how accurate all the info they gave me was. They told me the wish coordinator would call me so I'll wait till then to talk to her, but I just wondered if anyone else had any issue like this.

 

[patticake3]

Hi everyone - just trying to catch up after our wish trip last week, which was awesome!

Leelee, thinking of you and saying prayers that your husband is doing a little better and you're hanging in there with the move and everything else.

Misty, my experience with my MAW coordinator was kind of similar in that she didn't always have the information I was looking for, but it all worked out great in the end. I think it varies from state to state and coordinator to coordinator. We didn't stay at GKTW, but I know a few people who did and they got the typical 3 days at Disney, 2 at Universal, and 1 at Seaworld. You can word your wish request just to see Disney, but they may or may not be able to grant it that way. It's worth asking, but you also might really enjoy Universal and Sea World, so it's something to at least check out online. I think there were a few people here who requested Disney only and actually worded their wish to stay on Disney property. Something else to consider.

So our MAW trip turned out totally amazing. It wasn't the typical MAW Disney trip because my son requested to go to ESPN weekend at Disney. It turned out that ESPN planned the trip for the Wish families attending, not MAW. MAW arranged getting to and from the airport and the spending money and ESPN did the rest. The only thing that was stressful was that we didn't realize ESPN was doing all the planning until we actually arrived. We had some unanswered questions that MAW kept saying they'd find out from MAW National, but it turned out that MAW National was just waiting for ESPN to answer them. And ESPN was way too busy planning their big event to answer little questions from us - I understand that now! We ended up getting our information Fedexed to us the day before we left and a few questions were never answered, but as a family, we let the stress go, figured we'd have a great time even if we weren't sure exactly how it was going to work, and just got ready to be at the happy place! And that's how it all unfolded. We had a great time at Diseny, attended some ESPN events, rode tons of rides and saw tons of attractions, and just put all our troubles aside for a week and bonded as a family. It was everything that we hoped for and more. It's hard to explain what we went through as a family when my son was so sick. He battled life and we had some really dark times. We still face uncertainty, but our Wish trip was a week to live and let live. It was liberating and uplifting for all of us. Some things worked as we imagined, other things didn't quite work out but made us laugh, and there were plenty of great surprises. It was just awesome.

I need to do some more catching up here, but just wanted to check in and say hi. Hope you are all doing well!